Apparatus for automatically lighting or extinguishing street or other gas-lamps.



PATENTED SE T.

J. BERGAN. P 1904 APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY LIGHTING 0R EXTINGUISHING STREET OR OTHER GAS LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1903. N0 MODEL. I 2 SHEETSSHEET 1. y FIG. 9 FIG. 2.

. a "/e j A H e a, 6 9 c g 4 I 6 f a 1 e 8 a z 5 L A g; 3

0 (6 19 2 a Q i a 57/ I a C 3 C 5 FIG. 3.

W/T/VEQJ 5.5 //VV/V70/? fizmesfiergan 5% *6 '7 N 769529. PATENTED SEPT. 1 J.BERGAN. 90

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY LIGETING 0R EXTINGUISHING STREET OR OTHER GAS LAMPS.

APPLIOATIOK FILED SEPT. 18, 1903. NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E {-P' y a i P a J W e Q6. 7

g 3 :1 L s. 5 a

.,,w a I Patented September 6,1904.

UNTTED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JAMES BERGA N, OF GRANVILLE, NETV SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY LIGHTING OR EXTINGUISHING STREET OR OTHER GAS-LAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,529,

dated ."leptember 6, 1904:.

Application filed September 18, 1903- Serial No. 173,666. (No model.)

o /z//// [If/b07111 it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMESBERGAN, a subject of the Kingot' GreatBi-itain, residingatG-ranville, in the State of New South ales, in the C(mmumwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for .-\utomatically Lighting and Fxtinguishing Street or other (IasLamps, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for lighting and extinguishing the street-lamps throughout an entire district or city by means of a device actuated from one central station or from district central stations, and consequently without the necessity of daily attention on the part of a lamplighter. in order to efiectively accomplish this purpose, it is essential that the apparatus should be absolutely reliable under the constant variation of pressure inevitable in all gas-mains. This necessary reliability of action is obtained by actuating a specially-constructed tap in the supply-pipe by means of the rise and fall of a small gas holder or motor whose movement is controlled by the alteration of the pressure in the gas-main. .In former attempts to apply this principle failure has resulted from the liability of the tap used to become stitF, the small power obtain able from the variation of the gas-pressure not being then suiiieient to operate it. Another essential condition which this invention achieves is that the lamps cannot be either extinguished after being lighted or lighted after being extinguished by any variation of pressure between the maximum and the minimum previously determined for each lamp, owing to the fact that the apparatus is so constructed that the minimum and the maximum pressures must both of them be recorded before the supply-tap can be operated.

To make the details of my invention clear, I shall refer to the accompanying drawings, in Which*- Figure 1 is a front elevation of apparatus, showing the position of the tap when the gaspressure is at or above the determined maximum. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing position when the gas-pressure is at or below the determinedminimum. Fig. 3 is aside elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the motor. Fig. 5 shows apparatus in position near the top of the street lamp-post. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of tap with traveling plate carrying the operating-pawl removed. Fig. 7 is a section through line :11 1 Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an elevation of traveling plate, showing its inner face and the operating-pawl. Fig. 9 is a plan of same.

a. is supply-pipe.

/) is a two-way gas-tap.

I) is tapered plug.

7f is ratchet collar or shoulder.

71 is concentric extension carrying the traveling plate e.

7/ is countersunk washer.

7)" is nut.

7) is gas-aperture.

7/ is a fixed plate on face of tap carrying the locking-pawl 6.

l) is projection on tap for the purpose of carrying the lubricator.

6 is lubricatirig-channel.

c is the traveling plate.

0 is collar which lits loosely on the extension-piece of tap b.

c is operating-pawl which engages the teeth of the ratchet-shoulder b.

a is the operating-arm, connected to the top ot' the motor by means of rod 0.

a is projecting arm carrying an adjustingweight 0.

(Z is branch pipe carrying the motor and casing and terminating within the gas-holder just above the surface of the liquid seal.

a is casing containing the motor, the lower portion of which carries the liquid seal.

a is screw-cap.

(: is gas holder or motor.

0 is guide-rod passing through an aperture in center of cap.

a e" are a pair of open vertical slots cut in the casing, in which the rod J moves with the rise and fall of the motor, to the top of which it is attached.

e represents adjListing-weights on top of motor.

fis liquid seal which confines the gas within the motor-bell. For this purpose glycerin or a mixture of glycerin and water or any other suitable liquid would be used.

9 is a pilot-light, preferably provided with a'bell-shaped burner g to protect the light from being extinguished by wind or air drafts.

p is the casing containing the whole apparatus. (See Fig. 5.) p is the sliding door thereof.

The method by which my invention operates is as follows: For the sake of convenience gas-pressures are usually stated in tenth parts of an inch. The pressure varies in each streetlamp according to elevation and other circumstances, and in my apparatus the motor 6 would be adjusted to any desired standard by means of the adjustment-weights 6. Assume that in any particular lamp the motor is adjusted so as to require a gas-pressure of twenty-seven tenths to lift it and that it will not descend to its lowest position until the pressure sinks to twenty tenths. Assume also that the lamp is out and the motor lifted by the gas-pressure to its highest point, as shown in Fig. 1. It is desired to light the lamp. The pressure at the gas-works or controlling-station is momentarily lowered, so as to cause the pressure in the motor to fall to or below the determined minimum-namely, twenty-tenths. The motor then descends to its lowest point, the parts taking up the position shown in Fig. 2. This movement causes the operating-pawl 0 on the traveling plate 0 to move forward over the ratchet-collar b and engage the tooth thereon next forward of that which it engaged when the parts were in the position shown in Fig. 1. The pressure in the main is then restored to (or above) the working maximum-that is, twenty-seven tenths. This increased pressure lifts the motor back to the position shown in Fig. 1. The pawl 0 having now engaged a tooth on the ratchet-collar forward of that which it engaged when the pressure was previously at its maximum, the upward movement of the parts gives the tap-plug b a quarter-turn, thus bringing the aperture 6 into the position shown in Fig. 7 when the gas passing therethrough reaches the flame of the pilot-light and becomes ignited. A repetition of the operation just explained gives the tap-plug another quarterturn and shuts off the supply of gas. Thus by merely lowering the pressure at the gasworks or controlling-station to the previouslydetermined minimum and then raising it to the similarly-determined maximum the whole of the lamps in a city or district can be simultaneously lighted or extinguished. When the gas is lighted, the pressure may be raised to any degree and reduced to within one point of the minimum, or it may be reduced to any point suflicient to maintain the flame and raised again to within one point of the maximum any number of times without the supply-tap being operated in the slightest. It is only by deliberately performing the double operation of lowering the pressure to the minimum and then raising it to the maximum that the tap is turned and the lamp lighted or extinguished, for it is only when the motor reaches its lowest point that the operatingpawl engages a fresh tooth in the ratchet shoulder or collar of the tap, and it is only when the full maximum pressure is applied that the motor will rise and operate the mechanism. As a consequence of this arrangement the ordinary and inevitable fluctuations in gas-pressure do not in the slightest degree affect the supply-tap.

The continued effectiveness of the invention is entirely dependent on the tap maintaining its sensitiveness at all times and under all conditions, and no form of tap heretofore constructed will meet this condition. A tap with an ordinary taper plug would not remain ef-- fective for more than a few days; but the shoulder which I have provided on my tapplug if carefully constructed absolutely prevents jamming and insures the tap remaining free and sensitive under all possible conditions. The provision made for lubricating the tap prevents the possibility of its parts becoming fouled with verdigris.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in What manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In an apparatus for automatically lighting or extinguishing street and other gaslamps, the combination of a tap having a tapered plug, provided with a shoulder, for the purpose of preventing jamming, with a gasholder and liquid seal, and means actuated by the movement of the gas-holder for turning the plug, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an apparatus for automatically lighting or extinguishing street and other gaslamps, a tap having a tapered plug, provided with a ratchet shoulder or collar, a traveling plate carrying an operating-pawl engaging said ratchet, a gas-controlled motor, means for adjusting same, a connection between said gas-controlled motor and the traveling plate, and a pilot-light, substantially as shown and described.

3. An apparatus for automatically lighting or extinguishing street or other gas-lamps from a central station, provided with a controlling-valve in the gas-supply pipe, and a gas-controlled motor connected with the gassupply pipe and the said controlling-valve, and located between the said valve and the station, the said motor being adjusted to move to its lowest or operative position only on a mini mum pressure below the normal in the supplypipe at the station, previously determined, and to move to its highest point on a previously-determined maximum pressure at the station, the movement of the motor to the lowest position under minimum pressure below the normal, being necessary to place the motor in position to actuate the said valve to open or close the same, on an increase of pressure to the predetermined maximum, as set forth.

4L. An apparatus for automatically lighting or extinguishing street or other gas-lamps from a central station, provided with a controlling-valve in the gassupply pipe, a gascontrolled motor comprisinga vertically-movable gas-holder connected with the gas-supply pipe and the said controlling-valve and located between the said valve and the station, the said gas-holder being adjusted to move to its lowest or operative position only on a minimum of pressure below the normal in the supply pipe at the station, previously determined, and to move to its highest point on a previously-determined maximum pressure at the station, the movement of the gas-holder to the lowest position under minimum pressure be low the normal being necessary to place the motor in position to actuate the said valve to open or close the same, on an increase of pressure to the predetermined maximum, and means for setting the motor to the predetermined maximum and minimum pressure, thereby maintaining it out of operative position under any variation of pressure between the said minimum and maximum, as set forth.

5. In an apparatus for automatically lighting or extinguishing street or other gas-lamps from a central station, a controlling-valve in the gas-supply pipe, a traveling plate provided with a collar fitting loosely on an extension of the valve-plug, said traveling plate being provided with means for turning the valve-plug, a gas-controlled motor, an operating-arm projecting from one side of the traveling plate and connected by a rod with the said motor, and an arm projecting from the opposite side of the traveling plate and carrying an adjustable weight, as set forth.

6. In an apparatus for auton'iatically lighting or extinguishingstreet or other gas-lamps from a central station, a controlling-valve in the gas-supply pipe, a casing provided in its lower portion with a liquid seal, a gas-holder in said casing, a branch pipe connected with the gas-supply pipe and carrying the casing, the said branch pipe terminating in the said gas-holder above the surface of the liquid seal, a transverse rod attached to the top of the gas-holder, the casing being provided with vertical slots in which the rod moves with the rise and fall of the gas-holder, a guide-rod projecting from the top of the gasholder and passing through an opening in the top of the casing, adjusting-weights on the top of the gasholder within the casing, and means connected with the transverse rod on the top of the gas-holder, and with the said controlling-valve for actuating the latter, as set forth.

7. In an apparatus for automatically lighting or extinguishing street and other gaslamps, a tap having a tapered plug provided with a collar or shoulder for the purpose of preventing jamming, the periphery of the shoulder being toothed, a plate on the face of the tap, a locking-pawl carried by said plate for engaging the teeth on the shoulder of the plug, means for supplying lubricant to the tap, a traveling plate provided with a collar fitting loosely on an extension of the plug, a pawl carried by said traveling plate, an operating-arm projecting from one side of said plate, a weighted arm extending from the opposite side, and a gas-controlled motor connected with said operating-arm, as set forth.

Signed at Sydney, in the State of New South \Vales, this ith day of August, 1903.

JAMES BERGAN.

\Vitnesses:

H. U. ALLEN, D. Cimis'rrAN. 

